Clown
by laurencourtanee
Summary: When somebody is emotionally traumatized and is driven to madness, all it takes is one person to help. Not necessarily a lover, but a friend. Trust and respect are two things hard earned and easily lost. Sam is bound and determined to help this man. She doesn't forgive his crimes but she certainly doesn't blame him. (OOC sometimes and select myths added for depth and development)
1. Chapter 1

Just as Samantha got inside her car after the most boring lecture she had ever heard her professor drone on for, her phone started ringing away.

"I swear to God if she asks me for my notes one more time..." Sam muttered digging through her purse for the phone. After three more rings she quickly answered, not bothering with looking at who was calling her in the first place. "Hello?" Her voice sounded a little irritable but the voice on the other end quickly dissipated all of her negative energy.

"Hey! I hope I'm not interrupting you right now." Sam's cousin, Jane Foster, chirped. It had been awhile since the cousins could talk. With Sam going back to school part time and Jane busy as ever doing her Astrophysics thing with Dr Selvig and Darcy, bonding time had come to an almost complete halt.

"Oh, no. I just got out of a really boring lecture and was about to just go home." Sam began her quest to digging out her keys from her bag. I really need to clean out this thing, or use a smaller bag... She thought, finally producing a larger than life key chain with various toys and souvenirs she collected over her years. Jamming it into the ignition, Sam leaned back into her seat, driving home had to wait a wee bit longer.

"I wanted to call and remind you of tomorrow morning."

Ah yes, how could Sam ever forget? She was to house a war-criminal until she sought him fit to return to wherever he is supposed to return to. She only agreed because the only other option was to let some government agency take him and probably torture him until kingdom come. Now, she was all for paying your dues but she certainly is not for torture. She doesn't care who you are or what you've done, torture was never to be used. And she only agreed because Jane's beau, Thor, himself asked her. And after a hefty talk with the man himself, Sam agreed knowing his powers and immortality were being stripped before his arrival. Why, you may ask, is he coming back to Earth of all places? Strangely enough, Odin, thought it would be a lesson for Loki to learn. Don't know what he's supposed to learn, apparently only Loki knows that answer.

"You don't have to remind me. I promise to be on my absolute worst behaviour." Sam teased and she swore she could feel the heated glare coming from Jane.

"You and I both know he did terrible things, inexcusable things, but that however does not give us the right to be absolutely horrendous to him. He's going to probably be negative anyways, and if you start off being negative, it won't help his rehabilitation." Jane explained as if she were talking to a child. It wasn't only Sam who held all the weight, so did Jane to some extent.

"Oh, I'm only joking. So what time am I to be expecting the dark prince?" Sam's stomach started to protest the lack of food it currently had. With how late it was, a quick microwave dinner would have to suffice.

"Well I was told any time between noon and one pm. That should be enough time for you, right?" Guess that meant no sleeping in for Sam.

Groaning into the phone, Sam and Jane finished up their call. Tossing her phone into the passenger's seat, Sam turned her key and drove home in silence, nothing at the moment could distract her from tomorrows guest.

The alarm clock on Sam's bedside table went off, playing the only good radio station at full blast. After trying to swat at the snooze bar she remembered that she had moved it to her dresser... on the other side of the room... Rolling out of bed, Sam took two steps across her room and turned the bloody thing off. And now that she was in the standing position she couldn't go back to sleep. It may only be 8 a.m. but she had to prepare the guest room and buy clothes and basic necessities for him. She didn't have to worry about paying for his expenses, Thor gave her a chunk of money that he earned playing his role as a hero with his Avenger bretheren.

Getting dressed in just a simple jeans, v-neck, and combat boots, Sam pulled her hair into a messy bun and headed out the door with her wallet, phone and keys in one hand and a packet of pop-tarts in the other she got into her car and drove to the closest Macy's.

By the time Sam got home, it was pushing 10 am. And within the remaining two to three hours, Sam set to washing all the clothes and bedding. She only bought him enough clothes for two weeks and hopefully by then he was compliant enough for her to teach him how to use the washer and dryer. While the washing machine and dryer did their thang, Sam used that time to clean the thin layer of dust that acclimated itself after several months of non-use. The guest room was hardly used as she lived by herself and the last guests she had was Jane back in January. After cleaning, Sam grabbed the fresh bedding from the dryer, switching over the clothing and set out to making the bed. Sam took it to herself to bring some semblance of normality by buying dark green sheets and pillow cases. That hefty talk with Thor was more than just talking about his punishment, it also consisted of him telling Sam about Loki's character. From what colour he liked to what conversation topics could get her in trouble.

Another hour passed before a few knocks at her door pulled Sam from her living room. Getting up, she quickly unlocked her door and ushered Thor carrying an unconscious Loki inside. Closing and locking the door, Sam moved around Thor and walked to the guest room. She only stood at the doorway and watched as Thor gently placed Loki ontop of the covers to which Loki immediately reacted to the comfort, pulling a pillow to himself. Surprise would have to wait until the shock wore off.

The man asleep before her looked nothing of the menace that sought to destroy New York only five months prior. His features looked sunken and extra sharp as if it were from malnutrition. His hair had lost any kind of natural shine and his body looked extremely fragile.

Looking up to Thor, who had sad eyes, nodded and they walked to the living room, she took the small recliner while he settled himself onto the couch. Sam was the first to speak after a couple minutes in silence.

"How long will he be unconscious?" Thor's eyes jumped straight to hers, sadness still there. It must kill him to see his bother in that condition. Sam knew she'd have the same sadness if it were Jane in that bed.

"A day or two at most. His body needs to adjust to living without immortality and magic. You don't need to be in there with him, just check on him every so often. I was told he may briefly wake up here and there, just give him some water and just tend to him as if he were a sick child." Thor didn't say any of that to her but while looking out the window. The sun was shining and warm today.

"He's in the best hands with me. I give you my word." This made a smile, albeit small, plant itself on Thor. He may not be blood brothers with Loki but in a roundabout way Sam could relate, her bond with Jane went above just being cousins and nothing could make her feel differently.

"I can't thank you enough, Lady Samantha. You are doing something nobody would dare do. Loki may have done some cruel things but he's still my brother and I love him dearly. Hopefully by the next time we meet again, he'll have changed a bit." He stood, hand out, calling the Mjolinr.

Sam followed him outside, standing by the door as he kept walking and stood in the grassy field. With a slight bow and smile from him and a nod from her, Thor looked up, muttered and then with a flash of blinding light he was gone. Sighing, Samantha returned inside and used the rest of the day to finish papers due next week.

**A/N: So I'm just testing out the waters with this fic and I think I'm gonna leave it here and you guys can tell me if you want to read more. I already have a few chapters already written and it will seem a little OOC but I'm taking things a little differently. My one and only disclaimer is in the summary: All things Thor, Avengers, and Thor The Dark World belong to Marvel/Disney. All Norse myths and deities belong to Northern Europe.**


	2. Chapter 2

True to his word, Loki only gained consciousness twice. Both times Sam brought him up into a sitting position and gave him as much water as he could take. After, she gently put him back down where he rolled onto his side and fell back to sleep. On the third day, Sam found him still laying in bed but stared at her as soon as she walked through the door.

"Oh, you're finally awake. That's good. I was a bit worried you weren't going to wake up." Sam brought the glass of water she was carrying to the side table and turned to look at Loki, who's eyes still watched her. "Oh where are my manners. My name is Samantha and for the next little while you'll be staying with me until the 'All-Father' deems you fit for godly-ness." His eyes widened at the mention of his adoptive father.

Carefully, Loki pulled himself into a sitting position, joints cracking here and there and turned his full attention to the stranger who called herself Samantha. Her dark auburn hair was pulled into a ponytail that reached her mid-back and she had an oval face with light green eyes and full rosy lips.

"Don't push yourself. I'm sure your body is still adjusting." Loki looked at her confused. Oh, I guess his memory needs a jog. "Thor brought you to my care, unconscious, almost three days ago. During that time, your body was stripped of it's magic and immortality. For lack of a better word, you are Midgardian." At the mention of this, Loki's glare intensified.

_He took away my magic and immortality? Lovely. Just more things to add to the list of stolen items. And now I'm stuck on this lousy realm too? Oh, I'm sure every god in Valhalla is laughing at me now._ Loki forced his weakened body to stand. He only stood for a couple moments before gravity punished him and almost sent him to the floor had it not been for two arms wrapped around his midsection.

"I would advise against any and all sudden movements. Just sit down and have some water and I'll bring you some food." Loki could do nothing but simply nod as she rested his back against the headboard and he absolutely hated that. He didn't want to rely on a weak human to nurse him back to health, whatever that be, in his now mortal state.

Fifteen minutes later, Sam came back with a tray in her hands and placed it across his lap. Looking at the food and smelling it quickly made his stomach growl at the stew and sandwich waiting for him. Ever so slowly, he fed himself. Sam was polite enough to busy herself with folding and hanging his new clothes. When he finished Sam placed the tray on his dresser while Loki just watched her. Why was she helping him? If anything he'd think she'd want to end him for what he had tried to accomplish on her precious realm.

"Why are you taking this upon yourself to take myself in? I brought a war upon your people." He barely rasped out. His voice did nothing to convey his usual menacing tone, if anything he sounded almost pleading and that disgusted him. Loki is not one to ever plead.

"Well because if I didn't accept." His eyebrow quirked, an alternative arrangement? "The other arrangement would have you locked in a cell and at the clutches of S.H.I.E.L.D. And I'm going to tell you now, they probably wouldn't give you what I am. It's not to say that I'll cater to your every whim because in less than a week that will be changing. But that's a conversation for another time, for right now we just need to get you into some more comfortable clothes back to bed."

After a slow ten minutes, Loki was changed from the last clothes that proved his Asgardian citizenship. Laying back down, exhaustion claimed his being and Samantha took her leave, his clothes in one hand, tray tucked under the other.

After almost three days of bringing him food, Loki, with the help of Sam, was able to finally stretch his legs.

While Sam let him explore her apartment quietly, she set to drawing him a bath. She wasn't concerned with him trying to run away seeing as he probably couldn't get that far. Once the bath finished, she found him in the living room, looking outside. Today was one of the more cloudy day but the warm air counteracted it. Calling his name, she showed him the bathroom and told him where he could find towels then she left him in peace.

After his bath, Samantha decided that being cooped up in the bedroom and hiding there was no longer an option nor was it stimulating for the mind. Instead of letting him crawl back into the bedroom, he called him to join her in the living room. After a few quiet moments she saw him round the corner and sat himself into the couch.

"So now that you've freshened up, it's time for us to have a little chat about your stay here." He met her eyes, nothing but indifference reflected in his and authority in hers. _Does she truly think she can command anything of me?_ "I am not going to be your maid or somebody you think you can boss around. You are living in my home so I expect that you respect my belongings. I am not going to clean up after you nor am I going to answer to your every beck and call. You are an adult, you can get it yourself. If you require something - which I highly doubt - that is not found here, I will get it depending on the need for it. I will take it upon myself to make you your meals and that is it. And while I am attending classes, you will not leave this apartment or else S.H.I.E.L.D. will be here before you can utter a curse word. I know of your ability to use words - carefully structured - to have people do your bidding but that will not fly here. And if or when you show good behaviour more freedom will be bestowed onto you." Sam sat back in the recliner, waiting for Loki to protest to any of the terms.

After what seemed like forever, Loki looked up to Sam and spoke for the first time in three days.

"Do I really have a choice?" Sam shook her head, a smile tugging on her lips while Loki just looked defeated and sour.


	3. Chapter 3

Loki kept to himself during the week after their discussion, well more like Sam told how it was going to be and he had to accept. He sometimes stayed in his room and did whatever or he occasionally sat in the living room and read while Sam cooked meals and did studying of her own.

He never really tried to escape because he knew it would be fruitless. He knew Sam was telling the truth when she told him S.H.I.E.L.D would be all over him before he could get anywhere.

It was during one evening that they were spending in silence that he initiated conversation.

"How long do I have to be here?" Sam didn't even bat an eye while she turned her page, as though she weren't even listening. Irritated, he repeated the question.

"I heard you the first time. I want to finish this page and then I'll answer your question. Patience will do you a great service." Sam took a few more moments to finish before looking up. Her calm exterior irritated Loki. _How can she be calm. And how dare she keep a prince waiting! If we were on Asgard this would be very different. _"Now I will answer your question: I do not know. I was never told how long you were to be here, only that you are to remain living with me until you learn your lesson."

"And what would that be?" His jaw clenched, trying to keep his bubbling anger contained.

"Nobody but you will know. Your 'father,'" Sam made sure to but air quotes around the word. "Told Thor, who in turn told me that only you will discover the meaning of your rehabilitation and only from there will you slowly gain back your godly-ness."

This did not sit well with the dark prince. _Only I know what my lesson is? What kind of tomfoolery is this?! I'll die here before I learn that lesson..._ With a disgusted scoff, Loki went to his room and didn't leave for the rest of the night.

Slightly smirking to herself, Sam just continued to read. _This is going to be one hell of a ride._

* * *

The next morning went smoother. It was time for Samantha to start teaching Loki a few things like operating the dishwasher, microwave, washer and dryer. Since she was going to school part time, she couldn't ways be there to make him food and she told him she wasn't going to clean up after him.

"Loki, come to the kitchen, please." Sam had just gotten home from a late lecture and she was going to show him how to use the microwave to heat up leftovers should he get hungry while she was away.

She heard shuffling in the bedroom and the light sounds his feet made on the hardwood.

"Okay, so since I won't be home for a couple hours because of school every now and then, you should know the basic functions of the kitchen if you get hungry. Learning to cook will come at a later date." Sam pulled the toaster from a lower cupboard and set it in front of him.

"This is a toaster. Pretty self explanatory. Only breads can be put in this. Set the dial to how toasted you want and just push down this lever and voila! In a few moments you'll have a toasted whatever!" Sam continued to explain the stove and microwave. The dishwasher took a bit more time to explain. When he asked about the blender and coffee machine she told him only basics and then onto more advanced appliances.

What surprised her about Loki was how calm and compliant he was. She thought he'd be throwing a tantrum left, right, and centre. From what Thor told her, Loki had a very short temper ever since they were mere children.

Sam found out why later, in the middle of the night when a scream woke her from her deep sleep.

Quickly Sam left her bed and ran to his room. Sam hesitated, worried about what mental state he might be in. She didn't have time to ponder when a second, smaller scream jolted Sam to push open the door and run to his side. Loki was covered in a thin sheen of sweat and his bedding was a mess from tossing and turning.

"Loki!" Sam repeated his name over and over in the most soothing tone she could muster while pushing the hair out of his face. It looked so pained and he looked even more fragile than when he was first brought here. He was no longer screaming or muttering incoherent nothings but making a slight whimper here and there.

When Sam was sure that his night terror had subsided she slowly tried to inch away, careful not to wake him but she only made it a foot from the bed when his hand grabbed her wrist.

"No." Was all he mumbled out. Shaking her head slightly, Sam gently laid down on her side, facing Loki. She made sure to lay on top of the covers. It only took them both a matter of minutes before falling back into a deep slumber.

...

The first thing that invaded his senses was the faint smell of vanilla. Opening his eyes, he immediately came face to face with auburn tresses that only belonged to one person; Samantha. Shifting backwards, Loki took in the sight of her sleeping form: barely parted lips, eyelashes caressing the tops of her cheekbones while one hand was held near her head slightly curled. He watched her for a few moments in peace before shifting out of the bed and the room itself.

Standing just outside his door, Loki racked his mind trying to figure out why she was sleeping next to him. He had no recollection of any kind of inviting her to bed the previous evening. They had barely spoken after she forced taught him how to use the kitchen area. Shaking his head, he gave up trying to remember and set forth to shower.

Sam wasn't usually a light sleeper but the sound of the shower being turned on stirred her from the dreamless sleep she was very content with. Opening her eyes, Sam only saw one colour; green. Sitting up, she didn't immediately recognize the room but after a few seconds she remembered the midnight rescue.

_Well isn't this just a tad awkward. I'm sure he doesn't remember, people tend to not recollect certain things when night terrors happen. Just act normal and everything will be fine. _Sam instructed herself. She knew that if she were to help Loki, she had to do it slowly and without invading his already cracked personal bubble. There will be other times where she will have to nag at him but she knew that those kinds of situations are hard to talk about.

After stretching the sleep from her body, Sam padded into the kitchen to make a fresh pot of coffee for herself and a kettle of peppermint tea to help Loki calm any still frayed nerves. Just as everything was finished brewing, Loki emerged from his shower and sat at one of the few island stools that separated the kitchen from the living area. Sam was kind enough to set the steaming mug in front of him while she leaned against the counter with coffee in-between her hands.

"Now I know you probably don't want to talk about it and that's fine. You had a night terror and I calmed you out of it. When I tried to leave you grabbed my wrist and I stayed. No harm, no foul." _So __**that's**__ why she was next to me when I awoke. I don't remember having one._ Loki thought to him self, blowing off some of the steam before taking a sip of the tea. Looking up from his resting mug, he just looked at her, trying to figure out her motives. _Did she want anything in particular? She knows I have no powers right now... _Puzzled, Loki turned his stare away from Sam and back into his tea. _This woman has either no self preservation and is very, very stupid to 'rehabilitate' someone such as myself._

**A/N: Thank you to everybody who has reviewed and visited so far! Didn't quite expect that many hits and even a couple reviews for a story so young! Any and all kinds of comments are welcome. And I just want to throw in that this Loki will be part mythological in some cases.**


	4. Chapter 4

Loki didn't go to sleep after Sam retired to her room. Instead he stayed up and read books on her bookshelf at random. The books ranged from fictional stories about a wizard to the one book Loki probably never wanted to come across; The Poetic Edda. Half in old Norse and half in English, Loki read the old Norse with ease and reminded him of the books he has, had, in his chambers back in Asgard and left a bitter taste in his mouth remembering his 'home.'

He read and argued in his mind the entire time reading the Poetic Edda. Separating facts from fallacies of the nine realms. Whenever there was a particular ridiculous fact, he wanted to slam the book closed and be done but the writing pulled him back in more times than he cared to admit. Poetry was a very popular genre among his personal collections. Loki finally put down the book at the beginning of "The Greenland Ballad of Atli" seeing as the sun was starting to rise, signalling the start of a new day.

Loki was just turning the corner to enter his room when Sam came tumbling out of her room in just shorts and a tank top. Her hair was thrown into a messy bun showing off her smattering of freckles on her shoulders and the faintest hints of black ink hiding underneath the hem of her top. Sam didn't notice Loki until he cleared his throat, which caused Sam to almost collide with him.

"Jesus Christ! You almost scared me half to death! What are you even doing up at this ungodly hour?" Sam placed a hand over her heart as if it would somehow slow down her quickened heartbeat and the other on her forehead.

"I couldn't sleep so I read." Loki looked down at her, eyes focused on hers. Sam could tell he had been reading, his eyes were slightly red from lack of rest.

"Loki, you can't not sleep; you're body is mortal. It _needs _rest every night no matter what you were used to. I get it's a little hard to get into the swing of things but trust me, sleep is very crucial. You could say it was a gift from the gods." All Sam got in return was an eye roll at her pathetic attempt of a joke. Giving an eye roll of her own, Sam changed topics. "So I have two classes today and I probably won't be back until the early afternoon and when I get back here we need to do some things and you might not like it but it has to be done. Cool? Cool." Loki nodded once and returned to his room while Sam just stood there awkwardly until his bedroom door closed.

Sam ended up having to rush out the door because she spent a little too much time on the internet when she was supposed to be gathering her books for class. But her problems didn't stop there, she of course hit every red light on the way to campus and had a hell of a time finding parking near the lecture hall. By the time she did, she was already twenty minutes late and had to somehow sneak into the class without the professor noticing.

Sam wasn't able to catch a break until she sat down in class right next to her good friend Anahita, who just smirked at Sam and returned to taking notes. Sam met Ana while in the campus book store. Both needed help looking for their art history textbooks so they started chatting while they waited for the sales associate and by the time they left the book store all set for the semester, they had exchanged phone numbers and agreed to hangout later that week.

"Looks like somebody is frayed. You're lucky the professor's back was turned when you came in, which I might add was ever so graceful." Anahita whispered while Sam pulled out her laptop and tried to copy the notes from Anahita little netbook.

"Shut up. Now let me steal your notes." Anahita shook her head while she nudged her netbook a bit so Sam could see it without craning over too far.

"So, what made you late? Cute guy from upstairs get you flustered again?" Sam internally face-palmed; she knew telling Ana about him would be the worst thing ever because Ana never let's Sam forget.

Sam had told Ana about this college guy wasted out of his mind just walking into her apartment completely naked and convinced that her apartment was his when it was actually right above hers. It took Sam the better part of two hours to get him to leave and since then Sam was good at avoiding him too embarrassed to talk to him.

"Would you shut up about that? I was not flustered! Just embarrassed for him!"

"Puh-lease! I know you. And when a man like that walks into your apartment stark naked at 3am, anybody would be flustered and I know you, so I know you were very flustered the entire time you dealt with him." Just thinking back to that night made Sam's cheeks redden.

"Why am I still friends with you? You suck. I just woke up late." Sam mumbled, trying to avoid that incident, sliding down her chair a little while Ana suppressed a laugh.

A couple hours later, Sam and Ana finished their second lecture of the day and were walking back to Sam's car chatting about a party Ana was invited to.

"Come on, Sam! When was the last time you let loose and had any fun? I feel like it's been ages since we did anything together!" Ana moved herself so she was in the way of Sam getting into the car.

"I would love to but I have errands to run and I need to do some things at home." And it was the truth, Sam really wanted to get this done sooner rather than later because who knows how long the convincing part will take.

"Fine. While you stay home all alone I'll be partying it up with my fun friends." The two said their goodbye's and soon enough, Sam was driving to the nearest drugstore.

* * *

"Loki? I'm home, I hope..." Sam's words died when she walked into the kitchen. "What in god's name are you doing?"

Loki was standing in front of the stove with the most intense glare aimed at the kettle, looking up his glare intensified at Sam trying to contain her giggles but failing horribly.

"Here, let me help you." Sam giggled as she filled the kettle with water and placed it back onto the burner, this time turning the element on. "Okay, so remember how I mentioned this morning that we needed to do something 'you might not like it but it has to be done?' Yeah so, this is it." Sam pulled out two boxes and set them on the table in front of Loki who looked at the boxes suspiciously.

"What are those?"

"Well, at some point we'll have to go outside together and for long periods of time and with SHIELD out there you can't really look like well... you. These boxes change your hair colour and I kind of want to cut it too. Now I know that-"

"Fine. Just get it over and done with." Loki interjected none too pleased that this has to be done.

"Really? You'll let me? Just like that? Wow, okay, let's get started after some tea. You'll need to change into a different shirt though, something light." Sam jumped up and zipped into the kitchen as the kettle began to whistle and poured tea for the both of them...

While Loki changed, Sam pulled out her scissors, comb, electric razor, and bleach stained towel from underneath the bathroom sink and brought it all out to the kitchen island. There was no way that Sam would be able to do all this in the bathroom with him being so tall and her being tiny, it just wouldn't work. After laying everything out, Sam pulled her desk chair from her room and placed it near the tools.

"Okay Loki, let's get this show on the road!" Sam said as she spotted Loki turning the corner wearing just a plain white v-neck shirt. To say he looked good with his arms crossed wearing that shirt, showing how lean and wiry he was would be an absolute understatement.

Smiling weakly, Sam signalled for Loki to take a seat while she picked up the towel and carefully draped it over his shoulders. Quietly Sam began to cut away at his dark locks which were surprisingly soft and thick until a fair amount of hair was piling on the floor and towel.

Setting down the scissors, Sam stood in front of Loki running her fingers through his hair, lightly styling it to see if it would lay okay. While doing this Sam noticed that ever so slightly, Loki was slowly relaxing his tensed shoulders and taking deeper breaths. Removing her fingers, Sam cleaned up the small mess before opening the bleaching kit.

"So just to warn you, this stuff is going to smell really bad so I apologize in advance." Sam warned Loki as she mixed the cream and liquid into the little bottle and shook it.

Taking Loki's silence as an okay sign, Sam broke the bottle seal and began to bleach his raven hair. After getting a solid even coat, Sam warned Loki that it had to stay on for a while and to not touch his hair while it set. So while they waited, Sam got Loki to move to the couch and reading so she could move her desk chair to the kitchen sink so she could rinse his hair. Since the brand of hair peroxide she bought only stayed in for 20 minutes, Sam brought her blow dryer to the kitchen and prepared the second bottle of hair dye. Sam contemplated on giving Loki blonde hair but with his alabaster complexion he would've looked like a ghost so instead she bought a copper-ish colour which would actually make him look healthy.

About an hour later the hair transformation was complete, Loki was now sporting ginger hair that had a slight wave to it.

"Well Loki, I don't know how you'll react but I personally think you look so much better and different but a good different. You can go look by yourself, I'll just stay here and clean up." Sam fidgeted with the towel while the still silent Loki quietly stood up and walked into the bathroom.

After cleaning up everything, Sam walked into the bathroom to see Loki still looking at himself, but before she could say anything she swore she could see a ghost of a tear track on his cheek. Looking at him in the mirror you could see the slight relief in his eyes but as soon as it settled there it was gone in a flash.

"Do you want me to make dinner, and then we can just read books and ignore each other if you want?" Sam offered, trying her best to smile at him. With a slight nod of his head Sam left him alone and made some grilled cheese sandwiches and a light salad for them.

And read books is what they did until 11 pm where Sam retired to her bedroom and Loki stayed up reading.

Once Loki was sure she was in her room and out of earshot, he whispered, "Thank you."

**A/N: Wey hey a new chapter! So I think this is the longest chapter so far, yay! So this might be a little late but work and family have been whoa. Review if you want it's not required, but it inspires me to right more for you guys! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

The two weeks after dying Loki's hair were monstrously stressful for Sam. During that time it took all Sam had to not ship Loki off somewhere to stress out alone but that was not an option until she remembered a certain little trip she planned after agreeing to take care of Loki. So after dinner one night, Sam stopped Loki before he could hide away in his room for the entire night.

"So this weekend is going to be a long weekend and I thought you and I could get out of town and go on a little trip. Whether you like it or not we are goi-"

"No. I am not going anywhere with you after what you did to me. I am staying here. Any kind of authority you assume you have over me is gone. I am a god! And I will not have some quim like you dictating my life!" Loki thundered, making Sam take a small step back from his beseeching glare.

"Except for the fact that you aren't a god right now! You are just as human as I am! So yes, I **will** dictate your life until you start acting like a mature adult and not some child throwing a temper tantrum! Because all I see is a child who refuses to accept responsibility for their actions. And I did that to save your ass! I dyed your hair so you won't be ridiculed on the streets. I did that so you can start anew and be the person I know you can be!" The anger in Sam's voice dwindled as the tension left her body. Loki's glare only relaxed slightly at Sam's outburst.

"Do not think for one moment that you know anything about me. I have lived longer than anyone on this pathetic excuse for a realm, I have seen things you only dare to dream about. I have seen the rise and fall of empires, I have fought in many battles, so don't think for one second that you will ever know anything about me." This was not exactly what Sam had wanted to hear, but it was a start. It seemed that the way to get Loki to spill anything about himself was through intense negative emotions.

"And that's where you are wrong. Every day people in the world are going through something very similar to what you have gone through. Earth has had battles, empires, and have had unexplained phenomenons occur. You are not the only person in the universe with issues, Loki! I have issues myself but do I go and attempt to destroy an innocent stranger's home to resolve it? No, because that is not fair, and it would solve nothing. So stop putting the blame on people who are not guilty. You're mad at Odin and Frigga for lying to you? You are the God of Mischief and **LIES**. Yes they should have told you sooner but you should have seen the lies as plain as day. You're mad at Thor for being the favoured son? Yet I have only seen him talk highly of you, and support you. He wanted to protect you from SHIELD for crying out loud! You mad at Laufey for rejecting you? Well Odin and Frigga accepted you for everything you are. Do not blame them for you're failures and self-loathing. In the morning I expect to see you ready, pack lightly - we'll be gone for three nights." Sam tore her eyes from his and went to her room, preventing Loki from objecting or pinning the blame on anybody but himself.

With a deep exhale, Sam went to her closet to begin packing for the morning. She knew that helping Loki was going to be emotionally draining but what just happened could not be their every conversation, it would be counter-productive. They had to find a middle ground and she was hoping that after this trip, Loki would be more responsive. Placing her duffle bag near her dresser, Sam placed her ipod on it's dock, turning it up and just let the music play while she threw random articles of clothing in the bag.

* * *

Loki, slightly dazed from Sam's speech, slipped into his room after her music snapped him back to reality.

Nobody had ever had the audacity to speak to him like that, not even the Allfather says anything remotely that passionate. Loki wanted to be angry at her for everything she said but his body just refused to be angry and that only made Loki more irritated.

_Maybe she's rig- _Loki stopped that thought. There was no way that he would give her the satisfaction of being right. That would be the last thing he'd ever do. S_he had no right to assume anything about his life and what he was feeling. She had no right to try and put him on the same playing field as the pathetic humans of this planet. Who does she think she is to try and understand anything I've gone through. I laugh at her. _Loki's mind tried to prove she was wrong but no matter how hard he tried, his logic prevented that from happening at all.

He tried to block out Sam's words, they just kept repeating until he threw open his temporary closet and pulled down a medium sized bag, throwing in random articles of clothing.

It wasn't until near 10 p.m. when Loki heard Sam turn off her music but a couple seconds later, he heard her muffled voice.

* * *

"Hello?" Sam answered her phone. Why they would be calling this late, she had no idea.

"Hey, just wanted to check in and see how everything is so far. You haven't killed him yet, right?" The voice on the other end of the line asked, slightly amused. Sam could picture them smirking.

"No, I haven't. I promised Thor no harm would come to him while in my care." Sam responded, wedging the phone in between her jaw and shoulder so she could fold the clothes she'd be taking on the trip.

"Well that's no fun. Has he tried to kill you yet?" They asked, getting a little excited.

"Sorry to disappoint, he just reads all day and occasionally gets testy but that's easy to deal with." Sam could practically feel the pout through the phone. "Look, I'd chat but we have to leave early and it's a six hour drive so I need to sleep."

"Fine! Be super lame, see if I care." Sam rolled her eyes. They could be such a child, "Text me when you get into city limits and we can deal with everything over some drinks."

"Sounds good. Bye, Nino." Sam hung up before they could begin to protest at her nickname for them.

Plugging her phone in, Sam did her nightly routine of brushing her teeth, hair and relaxing yoga poses before burrowing herself underneath her duvet, mentally preparing for the long drive ahead.

**A/N: And that is chapter five! So some character development went on so that's pretty good. I really wanted to show that although Loki was behaving, kind of, he still has a temper that surprisingly Sam can compete with. Review if you want, and a big thanks to everybody who has reviewed so far! **


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